Bhakti to Shakti
Suchitra Mitra, an alumnus of Kalakshetra, Chennai, and a city-based Bharata Natyam dancer, has been invited by the North Zone Cultural Centre to choreograph folk dances from across the country as a part of the Chandigarh Heritage Festival. The theme of this choreography is `Bhakti to Shakti`. Some 400-odd artistes have come to be a part of this choreography. It begins with a musical ensemble, which in turn starts with the blowing of the conch shell followed with the jingling of cymbals and beating of drums signifying aarti and prayer.

Meltdown minting
Designer Neeta Lulla unveils her global recession-inspired collection
Couture diva Neeta Lulla unveiled her global recession inspired ‘’Chiconomics’’ collection, marked by sleek and structured albeit more simple designs at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW). Her cocktail dress collection with straps and  off-shoulders in cream, mauve were radically less flamboyant than her earlier collections with Swarovski crystals giving way to mirror work and detailed embroidery being replaced by block prints.

Commercial break
From topics like multiplex versus single screen films to the new economy to Bollywood going global — Abhay Deol wowed the audience with his speech on various aspects of avant-garde cinema at the prestigious Wharton business school. “It was a fun experience. The audience was very receptive and excited. I didn’t go with any theme in mind. I was asked questions about Bollywood. A lot of them were to do with how the industry has been up till now and about how it is changing rapidly,” Abhay said.

Yeh dil maange more
Madhavan doesn’t mind playing second fiddle in Hindi multi-starrers
Multilingual actor R. Madhavan, who was after a long time seen in a solo lead in recent horror film 13B, doesn’t mind doing multi-starrer Hindi films. Madhavan shot to fame in Bollywood with his debut movie Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001) and after that he was seen in solo lead in Ramji Londonwaley (2005).

I’m lovin it!
Purab Kohli mobbed by girls in Dubai
VJ-turned-actor Purab Kohli, who won accolades for his performance in the musical hit Rock On!, was recently mobbed by a group of girls in Dubai. The girls tore his waist coat, but he is not complaining.

Arm candy
Big, bright and bulky is what you should look for while going for bag buying
It's hard not to notice a colourful, exotic, and flamboyant handbag that rests on the arm of a girl. From clutches to small to medium size bags that have been in fashion, we are happy to announce this season too it's 'bigger the better'. Though at the Oscars, we saw clutches making magic, at Wills India Fashion Week and the Lakme Fashion Week, it was chunky bags that caught our attention. And staying in a city that is oh-so-fashion conscious, we need not say, big bags are a trend here too.

Still time
The crunch effect of the fallen leaves, the tension between still object and shadow, the interesting effect of light, developing a movement, backdrop of nature…Art is not easy! And getting into an artists mind? Impossible. "There's a canvas, there's a mind and there's in between," is how Paramjit Singh, the landscape painter, defines an aspect of art while talking of his experiences, "My exposure was more on the outside. I grew up in Amritsar amidst nature, trees, botanical gardens. Out of 24 hours, I was only sleeping and eating inside." He adds, "I chose to become an artist." In the tricity as part of the Chandigarh Arts and Heritage Festival, on an invite by Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, on Monday he presented a slide show of his works.

On a date with nature
On a special invitation from President's Secretariat Rashtrapati Bhavan New Delhi, a group of 43 environment activists led by N K Jhingan participated in the nature camp at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, on Saturday. These include 35 students and teachers from 21 schools in Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and Fatehgarh Sahib, four college students and three volunteers.

Counselling in cyberia
Clueless about what to do in life? Career counselling sites may hold the clue
Overheard a group of friends standing outside a local café — ‘the torture isn’t over yet. In fact, this is only the beginning. Boards are a trailer, worst to abhi aana hai’. It goes without saying, they are absolutely right. The real test begins only after the Board exam. Which subject to pick, how to go about it, how good it is and where is it available… students have to deal with an endless world of enquiries. And, it is not feasible to scout all colleges, universities or academies. Enter, online portals on career counseling that will guide you through the future.

Friendly chat
A study shows Facebook, Myspace and Twitter have revolutionised interpersonal communication
A University of Kansas professor is researching details of online relationships forged on social networking sites and determining their significance, depth and potential. Nancy Baym, associate professor of communication studies, became interested early on in how the Internet shapes interpersonal communication and of late has focused her research on social networking sites in particular.

Haute pick
Click with the best
The first thing one associates with MINOX camera, is James Bond. Following that trend, the DSC is so small that it can disappear into a clenched fist. It can be taken anywhere and capture images of very good quality.